Mera Naam Yousuf Hai ~ A Few Thoughts

Like any beautiful work of art Mera Naam Yousuf Hai is an absolute pleasure to watch. Khalil sahab’s lines are hard hitting and sharp, the acting is top notch for the most part, Mehreen does a fabulous job as a director, the DoP, Qasim Ali, makes every frame a visual delight, the editor and sound editor create new standards of excellence with every episode, the producers have pulled out all stops, and the picture quality is to die for. Why then am I not wowed by this one? Why is it that week after week I have to remind myself to tune in? Why am I not at all keen to know what happens next?

The answer, in my opinion, lies in the fact that Mera Naam Yousuf has everything going for it except one very basic component – an original story. The script is sharply written (it is easy to see why Khalil sahab would not want anybody messing with his words), but mellifluous lines and beautifully executed scenes cannot a serial make – there has to be something more tangible and meaningful that holds everything together.

What is being passed off as “new” is nothing more (at least up until this point) than a reformulated version of what we’ve already seen in Sadqay Tumhare (and Pyare Afzal as well, I am told by those who watched that serial). The difference lies in the re-packaging of the basic plot and a reshuffling of the context and characters. Yes, there are variations in terms of the writer’s underlining of the hypocrisy and double standards that exist in our society, but the glorification of a what in real life would be unquestioningly termed as awaragi, and the declaration of a loafer’s chichori harkats as divinely inspired ‘ishq wala love strike a very familiar, sour note.

Our patriarchal desi society already has problems galore when it comes to not listening, forget about actually paying attention to the voice of the woman, to hear what she is saying. To give them credit, Team Yousuf gives us an up close and personal look at one such family where the female lead is being pulled in two different directions by her quarreling parents, both of whom want her to marry a guy of their choosing. She, to her credit, is not persuaded by her parents’ picks and remains steadfast in her decision to not marry either – actually she doesn’t want to get married, period. So far so good.

The entry of a third unrelated guy in this already stirred up pot is presented as an unexpected alternative for our beleaguered heroine. In theory I am with the plot so far, but what makes this third guy track so unsavory is the fact that ONLY he is interested in her, she has no interest in him whatsoever. It is from hereon forward that I have huge issues with the implications of what we are shown. No matter how disinterested a girl might be, no matter how many times she says NO (loudly and clearly so that there is no mistake) any guy who imagines himself to be in love will still keep pursuing her. Why? Why is the first No not enough?

Yousuf first sees Zulekha in a train. From there on he tries to make zabardasti ki conversation with her, harasses her, stalks her sister to see where they lives, shows up at her doorstep, sends a friend to persuade her, and when all else fails he shows up in her bedroom. In all this he is helped by friends who actively help him in his pursuit rather than talking some sense into him.When did such behavior become acceptable? Acceptable enough that such a guy is being declared a lover and a hero on primetime TV?

If from now on any raah chalta guy claims to be in love with any raah chalti gal should we be okay with any and all stalking and harassment that follows? Just because he is in love with her the girl loses her right to say no? And then we are told his love is divinely approved because she is a Zulekha to his Yousuf. If so then god help all girls named Heer and Shireen and Laila and Sohni and Sassi – bibiyo sanbhal ke rehna kabhi bhi kaheen bhi koi Ranjha ya Farhad ya Majnu ya Mahiwal ya Punhu se aap ka takra sakta hai!

Don’t get me wrong I am a sucker for romance and have no interest in being the moral police, but this kind of gradual normalization and glorification of what should be universally unacceptable behavior, particularly in a society which is getting increasingly claustrophobic for a woman, is deeply troubling. As it is after three back to back serials from the same writer we have already become inured to words like kamina and khabees, both a strict no-no in my family till today.

Speaking in broader terms, about not just this particular serial but others of this ilk as well, that approach issues such as eve teasing, stalking, harassment, molestation, etc, with a wink and a smile, it is very easy to dismiss these concerns: Who really cares, its only TV, nobody takes this seriously, etc, but as recent writings on the impact of Bollywood on Indian society have demonstrated, this is not a matter to be taken lightly. Agreed, not all ills in the society are to be blamed on the media, but the fact that a correlation does exist is not to be taken lightly.

An important fact to keep in mind is that these writings, linked above, are talking about films that are: a) rated for content and language, b) one pays a price for entry, and, c) are over and done with in three hours. By contrast our popular serials air uncensored at prime time, for over six months at a stretch (given an average run of 24 weeks), without any prior warning about language and content. Add to this mix popular good-looking actors and we have innumerable easily impressionable minds unquestioningly flipping over the “cute and filmy” romance.

Coming back to Mera Naam Yousuf Hai my ranting/venting is based on all that has transpired so far in the first 7 episodes. I am hoping and waiting to see how things turn out as the serial progresses; I will be the first one to cheer if and when Yousuf admits to his idiocies and gets off his muhabbat wala high horse. But for now despite the bells and whistles I remain unmoved.

I agree with your points, and get how they are packaging this as the way to go if you love someone, I mean the friend was the worst he even advised him to go stop the wedding. I think after he sent Mansha and the answer was no he should have stopped, knowing she had no interest
However it has been shown that what he’s doing is wrong by way of Yousufs father, he pretty much told him this in the last episode, that she doesn’t love you why are you chasing her and you are tarnishing her reputation, so I like the fact that it was portrayed that what he’s doing is wrong, so I think he has food for thought and maybe there will be a change in his actions, let’s see.!
And yes it’s all been done very nicely but yeah story very similar to PA and ST, I find a lot of similarities in the characters and story graph taken from both those dramas.
I am enjoying Afia Begum though and the direction obviously is excellent! I am hoping Yousuf redeems himself, they have shown him as kind of innocent and not a Glinda or anything like I know it’s wrong but I can see how people will see he’s not harming her or assaulting her but just wants to get his feelings across but like you said how many times does she have to tell him no lol
But nowadays in a lot of dramas the wrong messages are portrayed, like for me it’s sheer entertainment but you wouldn’t want it to happen to your daughter you know, can see how it would affect young minds.

@SK: Very well put! These are precisely the reasons I am watching too … MJ and HB together are a lethal combo and I too am liking Afia Begum and characters like Mansha’s. KUR is a fab writer in terms of lines and the way he uses the Urdu language – I really enjoy hearing his lines. And I also agree, as I wrote above, that there is an underlining of critique, but for now the main takeaway is the strong muhabbat that Yousuf has for Zulekha … the fact that even the policeman says jao garam doodh pilao… muhaabat koi jurm nahin hai.. and then adds to it by cautioning the father that if you file a case your own daughter’s name will get dragged in mud got me thinking really hard ..is this what we really want to hear police officers saying? And the whole crossing over the chhats and in to her bedroom.. like you said we watch this for entertainment and walk away after it ends without giving it a second thought .. but all across various fora Im reading comments like what cute chemistry, such a lovely story, cant wait to see them together … and that’s serious cause for concern!

And yes, the re-packaging is another thing that has me annoyed .. I can understand that the dir/producer/actors might not have seen the two other serials, but the writer def knows what he doing and even though these three dramas have been executed by three completely diff teams and aired on diff channels, the fact that the viewers remain the same is a little fact that seems to have escaped the writer completely .. Lets just say Im very disappointed that a “God Gifted” writer ( his own words ) has chosen to go this route

@SK yes I really hope he redeems himself!! but didnt dr maqsood tell him the same thing yet we saw khelu spend the night in Shano”s room.. We also got the justification by yousuf ke’ pehle sub ashiq loafer kehlate hain’.. ie its ok to be a loafer because thats the first step to muhabbat?!?! .. And the advice coming from a father who was only egging him on in pursuit earlier.. Seeing his son in pain suddenly made him realize.. There are so many factors going for the serial, everything u mentioned, (and the fantastic HD print) that I really hope for the redemption! 🙂

@Nabz: I got really put off by the slow place a while ago and havent gone back to watching it carefully scene by scene, which is what I would have to do to do complete justice to the efforts of everybody associated with that serial.

@SZ Thanks for bringing up such an important point.
I felt the same way with ST. We called it ‘chichorapan’ then, and Yousufs dad calls it ‘loaferpana’..
The most worrying thing i see here is glorification of such behaviour in general, and particularly by adding divine and religious context/connection. You pointed out the Yusuf Zulaikha context here, there was ghaibi / khudai taqat in ST..
In both of these plays it felt like it is everyones moral ”duty” to assist this lover. Dost tou dost, be it the maulvi sahab, the thana or kachehri they all had to play their part in this ‘noble’ cause.
We saw KUR mentions the izzat and ihtaram of the beloved.. but yeh kaisa ihtaram tha ke the love letters were read out in public (PA and ST), the pursuit and wooing got to the point ke larka gets in girls room.. (to the point he spends the entire night there (ST))..
Although Im glad to see Zulaikha bibi not falling for it just like that & she has no i am born to get married ideology, (much like PA) she has ideas about who will win over her heart (pyasa / pani reference whatever that meant), but by the looks of it she will eventually fall for a guy who pursued her in such a lowly fashion. I hope there will be more to it than this.
The point raised in the article you shared about eve-teasing hits home. Extend the 3 hr time limit to 6-7 months… #worrying
The other point you raised about not being the original story, totally with u on that one. Its like all the characters were thrown into bag, reshuffled, and what we got was the next serial.. Dr maqsood had taught Khelu abt izzat karo, and here we hear yousufs dad teaching that lesson (who had egged him on in the first place) , PA we had the love ineterst’s sister, ST it was Shano’s BFF, and here we have Yousuf’s Bff’s sister, the third person in the triangle, playing pretty much the same role.. Id have to say I did enjoy PA to some extent , perhaps because it felt it was original (he did read out the self-written love letters, but atleast we didnt see him pursuing the larki as such) , but unfortunately, the following remixed versions were very disappointing.
I know this is not ST thread, but may I add some more bharas here.. The entire saga of Rasheeda, her history, the rape passed on as a ‘mere’ extra marital affair, and her pursuing of Abdur-rahman, was very distasteful and disgusting. It was certainly not a prime time drama.
Bit off track now, but another drama that I found very disturbing in this context was Mera Naseeb, where being an illegitimate child issue was brushed under the carpet..

@FA: Thanks for sharing your concerns about this issue too – good to know I’m not the only one put off by this extra-ordinary muhabbat of Yousuf’s. And you and @SK are so right, as viewers we’ve all been sort of complicit in letting such things slide by .. but I guess when I watched the first one I thought ok one off, but then you get the second then a third and phir line lag jaati hai .. its like we see with the doosri biwi trend, where they now reign supreme on ever channel. I had actually started this post off as a review for the last three eps, but I just couldn’t set my brain aside and go with the flow this time around. I hope to god KUR doesnt have a fourth version of his aap biti ready to release once this ends!

FA good points: I also thought that ST was disgusting amd very sordid. I liked Shano and thought MK was fab and at least their love was mutual and enjoyed the finale as it was back to being about Shano and Khalil. I couldn’t stomach that whole dirty laundry being aired! Those relationships should never have been shown like that, it was really yuck how Rasheed’s was chasing her brother in law
I also don’t like the context of divine and religious references. It makes it seem they have a God given right to do what they doing

You make some pretty solid and rational points ( I have to admit with a heavy heart since from now on, I will be looking at this drama from a totally different point of view :()

But, yes, I agree with the point that our serials do tend to glorify the hero who is paying the girl unwanted attention. We live in a society that is still to a large extent confused or a mix of different sections with very different values and rules. While it is OK for the girls coming from the elite class to date, at the same time girls from other parts of the country could get killed in the name of ” family’s honor “.

So, yes it would be a good idea for the writers of TV dramas to act more responsibly. To educate the youth on the topics of harassment and love and the difference between the two.

@Kiran akhtar U raise a good point about the difference in values in our society, however, I don’t think anyone from any class would approve of stalking, harrassment, and trespassing by random strangers…

@Kiran: Sorry!!! I know you are really into the serial – didnt mean to spoil it for you – my bad! Agli baar will be careful 😉

No but seriously, given that this serial is one that you’re enjoying, I truly appreciate your reading this post with an open mind and being open to hearing an alternative viewpoint – my respect for you goes up a whole other notch! 👍👏

I haven’t been watching Mera Naam Yusuf Hai, because it is not my cup of tea – thank you for articulating precisely what was disturbing me: the utter disregard for a girl’s feelings, the passing off of stalking as “love”, the list goes on…

I haven’t read the articles you’ve linked to, will do soon, but here is something that came to my mind. The connection between crime rates and visual media like TV/films has been stressed for a long time. I remember someone telling me – read the following sentence “he entered her room and shot her” and now visualise this happening in front of your eyes on TV. Notice the impact? The power that TV yields is enormous and TV channels have been mis-using these powers in the race for TRPs…

My worry is, we’re stuck in a rut – saas-bahu, mazloom aurat, “love” story – rinse repeat recycle without any sensible treatment/solution. It is also a bit surprising that MJ is going ahead with this storyline – that alone makes me hope that something else might be in the offing in the future episodes…

@VZ: your last line sums up the precise reason why I take MNYH so seriously – any other dir, I would’ve quietly stopped watching it a while ago, forget about writing a post about it. But yes, because it is MJ and then add in HB, like you I too am waiting and hoping for something positive to come out of this mess …but then on the other hand we do have KUR here too … so dekho … finger crossed!

Similarities to PA r very disturbing.. This is totally PA minus some nice things.. Like there we had very nice and supportive parents in both families who were understanding but at the same time acted like “parents”.. There we had a very soft and sweet maulvi sahab.. Here we have a munafiq maulvi and baap..
There v had a hero who u may call loafer, but he respected women so much k friends ko sath lga k stalking tau kia, he never took her name in front of anyone.. Yahan chat phalaang k larhki k kamray me phnch gya..
Uf waseem abbass’s character is disgusting.. Rasheeda ney MAA aur is ney BAAP ka image hi tabah kr k rakh diya.. Beti ka sauda kr k purani mohabat hasil krna.. Aisay parents b hotay hain? Hon b tau kitnay percent hon gay k dramas me dikhana imprtnt hai

@Atty You raised some valid points there. Im with you on PA, esp when it comes to parenting. I think I had said this once before too, for me the portrayal of the maulvi sahab as a human and most importantly as a family man was one of the reasons I tuned in. But when we look at the overall picture, doesn’t PA seem very similar to ST and MNYH on so many levels?.. starting with the hero being the sarak chap type & the ‘ishq’ ki akhri hadd wala love lol … But I have to agree, I also think PA dealt with these topics more cautiously/ sensitively than what we are seeing here..
Re Beti ka sauda: spot on! That was/is disgusting! Exactly aise parents kahan hote hain?… But then again aise policemen, tange wale, aur judges kahan hote hain? lol

@Atty: Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one … after reading your comment I can only thank my lucky stars I didnt see PA … main tau ST wali similarities se hi bezaar hoon
But yes, the overall pkg is so attractive ke its a delight to watch.

@SZ u missed my point. I think PA was better than this. And u r not so lucky watching a poor version of PA’s story 😛
@FA me too, me too.. I was also following PA religiously coz of Maulvi subhanallah (fan of Firdaus jamal since PTV time, remember him from Ashfaq ahmad’s plays)
and Absolutely! Thats what i m saying.. MNYH is very similar to PA, and what puts me off is Much more negativity than positivity in this one.. Matlab k jo achi cheezen thi PA ki unko negative kr diya aur hero ko ziada lofar kr diya and hurray! There u go! V have made another high TRP drama

I have been lurking around your site for a while now and nodding my head in agreement to a lot of things I read from you. But this one has mirrored my exact feelings about this drama which I was so looking forward to, knowing it was from Mehreen Jabber. I absolutely loved all her other plays, save for Jackson Heights here and there. But this one just upsets me because they are justifying unacceptable behaviour by attributing it to something beyond one’s control. Yousuf is exactly the kind of guy I would want to remove my slipper and whack if I ever encountered on the street. Disappointin even with all the other great stuff you mentioned!

Hello, hello @F – thank you for breaking your silence and taking the time to comment (the first time is always the hardest – been there done that!) – much appreciated!

You know when I started writing this post it was supposed to be a straight forward review, and usually if there are a few things here and there I tend to mention them in passing, thinking ke theek hai chalta hai, dramatic license etc, but this time around I just couldn’t ignore it … the jumping over rooftops, ending up in a girl’s bedroom, the friend egging him on (actually even encouraging him wheh he was ready to give up on her a couple of times), everybody seemingly understanding his “muhabbat”, and then another girl pushing her to talk to him, all just was too much to digest – and yes, you’re absolutely right – maaro-ing such a loafer with a chappal is just about what we would all think to do in real life.

I get that the writer thinks of love as a divine gift and believes in a kind of ishq that cuts across all borders and boundaries, and there is quite a lot of merit there in these very profound ideas, but the way it is being depicted here or even in ST has been quite disgusting… I am all for love stories and dont mind the envelope being pushed here and there, but for the writer to rip apart the envelope – can’t be on board with that.

But again, as everybody has said, because it’s an MJ project we do hope for something good to come of this so let see.

And now that you’re here, I hope you’ll continue to join in our convos .. always lovely to read another point of view 🙂

Thank you for the warm welcome SZ:) I love a good love story like most of you here. But to me stalking a girl is nothing short of harassment and even trivialising it by calling it eve teasing as is done in most part of where I come from is very upsetting. Movies like Raanjhana and now these dramas making it seem like roohani ishq is sending out the wrong message to young people. And I hope like everybody else that there will be something that will turn the story on its head and give us some food for thought.

That was some seriously awesome post..as @VZ rightly said thought provoking.. You have raised great and valid points regarding the story being so far and in reference to that i like that article too.. To be honest with you, up until this episode i was just going with the flow of play.. Though as i said in previous reviews as well that x factor is missing which makes me excited for next episode..but this week episode actually made me think what message is being portrayed here.. K shuru me san loafer/lafange (i forgot the word) hote he phir theek hojata he.. Wow are you serious.. And as guilty as charge i have been so immune to watch stuff like this without thinking rationally k I don’t even bother to observe whats going on..

I havent watched KUR’s Bota from Toba Tek Singh or BILU.. But have quite alot about it and they both do seems to be different stories.. Which means he can write differently.. But ek saal me 3 ek jaisi stories.. What to conclude from that.. But like all of you there is still hope left as its just 7 episodes have past.. So here hoping that this stay its course logically n sensibly 🙂

@Rehmat: Yes, his Manjali and BILU were very diff, not only from this trio but diff from each other as well, but since they didn’t do quite as well as PA did, we are now stuck with the same story on a loop

Rehmat, this is the real scary thing: “i have been so immune to watch stuff like this without thinking rationally k I don’t even bother to observe whats going on..” – we get the same stuff given to us again and again, after a while we start accepting it without giving it a second thought. The use of swear words is a good example – first time we raise eyebrows, fifth time we hardly notice.

The problem with Khalil saab’s writing is, it sounds all great and he gives us lovely dialogues (PA is a good example – watching some episodes, I wouldn’t realise that arey, aaj story toh hasn’t moved an inch!). But remove the veil of the beautiful lines and I can’t really find any new story or depth to keep me coming back once the drama has finished airing. Contrast this with some of Umera Ahmed’s work, there is a lot more there to discover even when we are re-watching (Daam, Shehr-e-Zaat are good examples of social/spiritual work, even lighter stuff like Malaal have repeat-value for me). I am not trying to undermine Khalil saab’s work – who am I to do that…but yes, some writers work for me and some just don’t.

Writers’ responsibility apart, there is something called collective social responsibility that channels these days are fast forgetting and I can see the pressure on directors, writers and actors to deliver to the TRP audience. I am really hoping MJ will show something sensible here. She has till-date never justified or condoned such behaviour, I am pretty sure we will see another side to the coin.

Also, as SZ mentioned above, Hina Bayat is again very responsible and I believe she will not be a part of something that glorifies irresponsible behaviour.

@VZ u put it so beautifully.. No matter how much spirituality is shown in Khalil sahb’s stories, Depth is the thing missing in them..
And seriously even i cant re-watch his stories, no matter how much i like them in first go. I loved PA and when it was airing i thought of watching it again with huby when it finishes (i tend to do that with my favorite plays.. Huby loved Dastan, Daam, Aun zara, Malaal and of course Humsafar).. But PA k khatam honay k baad abi tak himmat nae ho rae dobara dekhnay ki

Thank you Atty. Regarding the spirituality point – in Khalil saab’s plays we are always “told” that there is a spiritual connection between the two principal characters – shouldn’t we be discovering that by ourselves through the actions/events shown in the play?

On a different note, it’s really sweet that you get to watch these plays with your hubby, mine won’t ever agree – he managed to watch one (yes, one!) episode of Humsafar, only because I was going all ga-ga over Fawad Khan 😉

It was quite tough to him make him sit through first couple of episodes of Dastan. I had it downloaded in my pc, 3 episodes were all he watched.. But next month i went to Pak and he was left alone. One day internet was not working and he had nothing to do but to watch downloaded drama.. Aur phr kia tha. Pak me mera inbox msgs sey bhar gya. He cried with Bano, he loved there re-union.. Aur saray emotions mujhay convey kiye ja rahay thay..
Bs us k baad he agrees to watch whatever i like.. Aur Humsafar me tau he went crazy. Weekdays me raat k 3o’ tak jaag k 2 days me pura dekha.. And funny enough, Mahira khan ko ignore kr k FK ki tareefen kr rahay hotay hain

I just wanted to share some of my thoughts. I feel some people here are taking this show way too seriously for no reason at all. I remember this same website having a problem with Umera’s scripts a while back since she was too “preachy” and now we’re having a problem with Khalil Ur Rehman’s stories for showing exaggerated muhabbat. What do you guys actually prefer watching if I may ask? There’s also Doosri Biwi on one side and the typical commercial stuff like Alvida on the other. No one’s ever happy here with anything it seems, apart from the saas-bahu drama in Humsafar – which is frankly, quite ironic.

Coming to the show itself. I personally feel its treatment and execution is different than most of Khalil Ur Rehman shows. SZ, you haven’t even seen Pyare Afzal as you mentioned in your original post and you’re making comparisons here which doesn’t really make sense to me? I feel MNYH is far more superior to some of Khalil Ur Rehman’s other works, because of Mehreen Jabbar’s direction. It’s nice to see someone of Mehreen’s caliber unfold such a story as this isn’t usually her kind of story to direct. I like her take here. Not only that, the performances are brilliant. I love the supporting cast! I think people here are unnecessarily creating a fuss over Yousuf’s character to be specific. No one’s justifying Yousuf’s actions anywhere. His own dad is calling him a loafer and asks him to take responsibility for however he’s behaving. Yousuf’s actions are up for debate and so is his notion of love. However, the reasoning for him to go after Zulekha is there. Whether anyone likes it or not, is different. He feels there’s a connection between the two because of their names which is the vocal point of Yousuf’s feelings. Is anyone but Yousuf justifying it anywhere in the show? Nope. I like how the writer isn’t forcing anyone to fall in love with Yousuf the character, as I said there are different perspectives on Yousuf’s zidd, love or whatever else you may want to call it in this very show itself.

While I understand some people aren’t interested in Khalil Ur Rehman’s repetitive cycle of love stories and that’s fair enough, but this whole discussion on how a Yousuf can potentially increase crime rates and affect our bechari awaam is actually so exaggerated. We have many problems in our country and I can assure you a bechara Yousuf going after someone who he claims is his love in a drama, is not one of them.This show is more or less escapism and fantastical…something which Khalil Ur Rehman has a niche for. It’s actually quite evident. You do not need a solution to every show or character out there. For that you actually have Umera Ahmed, but with her too people always seem to have a problem with. I like how MJ took this up. I give her props because as a director it’s nice to work with different writers. She has worked with Sameera Fazal, Umera Ahmed, Farhat Isthiaq, Zoha Hassan, Khalil Ur Rehman, Vasay Chaudhry etc. I like how she gives us her take on different perspectives of different writers. I’m surprised many people here are strongly and critically analyzing such a show’s for some very absurd reasons.

I have very clearly stated that I have not watched PA, in fact don’t say so anywhere, so am not making comparisons to that serial at all,… my comparisons are based on ST … there are other readers who are making comparisons to PA, and they are welcome to state their viewpoint, just as you are …

Re: Umera: If I remember correctly, we’ve had this discussion before and honestly two three years down the road I think we’ve talked ad nauseum about my issues with ZGH, which have less to do with preachiness and more to do with the way the story was handled .. by the same token I am also the one who had no issues praising Umera heartily for SeZ, when so many others were complaining about the preachiness there. Since then i don’t think I have reviewed any other Umera serial here.

Re: Doosri Biwi and Alvida, yes I have my issues with those, hence you don’t see me reviewing those here.

Re: what I like to see .. I think my choice is pretty evident by the kinds of serials I choose to discuss and engage with, and that’s entirely my own choice, and in doing so I am not asking others to watch what I watch, or like what I like …

Re: MJ: As I stated at the top of this post I actually enjoy what Mehreen and her very talented cast and crew have done with this serial ….and I have very positive reviews if MJ;s handling of the story with earlier reviews. Moreover, I have tremendous respect for Mehreen as a director hence again my very positive reviews for her recently ended JH, another serial quite unpopular with the a large majority of viewers, .

Re: Yousuf’s character: I’m glad you are enjoying it, I’m not. Yes, I have issues which mght be important to others but that’s fine. I have merely shared, not forced my thoughts on others.. people are free to read, agree, disagree, comment or not comment, their choice.

As for the rest, you have the absolute right to your opinion just as I or the others here do …

Completely agree. Sometimes I read these reviews and have no idea what the people here even want. They get characters that are 2 dimentional with no depth and they hate that. Then it’s a character who actually has flaws, but that’s not agreeable either.

Yes everyone is entitled to their opinions but shouldnt a review be just that? A review? On the story the acting the direction? Putting your moral opinions onto it and the character’s choices is no less preachy than the writers whose serials you have a problem with.

I know its quite a serious issue, but I thought after a very intersting day on both our threads we could do with some fun..
I came across this Dr Aur Billa vid today (blast from the past) and it reminded me of apne Yousuf mian.. Why did it made me laugh and not angry? – perhaps because its ridiculing itself..??!! … (the Shireen Farhad/Laila Majnoon refernce and epic ‘Lechar Ban Jaoon Ga’ got me thinking of this thread, so after kafi soch bachar i decided to share it here lol)

Hello hello may I come in plz…… I am a new comer & hope I am not a intruder. I am following SZ for a quite a while now. Watched several tv serials and telefilms recommended by sz, I trust ( her or his) selection with closed eyes. I started watching MNYH after his review on the 3rd episode for nice cheeky dialogue & acting so far. As the serial began to unfold I was so taken aback by the writer’s mental approach towards society & sorry to say the mannerism which he is trying to display by his characters…. These sarak chaap aashiqs are responsible for degrading the eternal divine jazba of love aur iss jazbe ko gallioun mein roll rehein….. Who in 2015 jumps over the rooftops & get into girls room…… Maulvi sahib is so strict, keeps a hawk’s eye on his girls magar duno jawan lirkioun ka kamra sub se uperwali manzil per hey all by themself hahaha !!!!!. both maa paap ik dusre ki zid mein beti ko qurbani ka bakra buna rahe hein. Father the “doogla” is having an affair( purana hi sahi) and ready to kill his girl in the name of family honor hehehe, where do you spend ur time Khalil ul Rehman sahib & get such inspirational tales to tell……. How can one endeavor such a play…. Maa aur behan duno zulekan ko wo kerne per majbor ker rahi hein jo intahi galat hey. I am a pro women rights they should have all the rights to decide their life, but do not persuade her to response and love and marry a man who comes out of the blue just because they are against father selection …. Has anybody noticed the younger sister’s expressions in all the scenes where ever yousaf is “marring enterien” liking her lips like raal tapk rehi ho……. I am a great aashiq of MJ’s work loved her each serial & latest was JH, lot of ppl nt living abroad have hard time to coop with JH …. D.O.P is over the notch in MNYH cast is doing great, my all praises are for Mansha & Hina….. Now there has become a trend to cast our seasoned actors like Behroz , Wasim & all others of this catogery in the stupidest characters & vulgar comedies. My suggestions for directors is for God sake stop this trend “would you like ur baap, chacha, mama, nani dadi phupi, khala acting like that, there is a difference in comedy & vulgarity, acting educated is not a crime, remember Hassiena Moin’s times she had story to tell and humor in her stories….

On KUR sahib, I watched him in a show on TVONE with the cast of MNYH. He had a aura of being a super writer with God gifted tallent, his body language was like I am the man, all the cast was so impressed & obliged to be acting in his play. He is very particular about the pronunciations of “aan, qaaf,ka, ki wagara wagara but what about some girl’s reputations, family’s honour & parents on both side’s izzat….. Larke ka jis pe dil aa jae bus haat dho k pichey per jao aur ishaq mein aala muqam hasil kro waa waa bravo bro…… I would rather tolerate a bad lab o lehja but not a bad demonstration of love in particilar and bad vibe given out in general…… I apologize in advance for the fans of KUR…. I said what I did’nt like in his style telling tale, like you all like his stories. Khuda Hafiz & stay blessed…..

@Shamim Hasan: Hey hey.. Yes you are always welcome to join in and you are not at all intruding.. Infact its fun to have many people and read their perspectives 🙂 even i am huge fan of SZ.. And whatever she suggests is also a must watch for me and i never get disappointed..

I totally agree to what you have written specially when you said bad lab o lehja are still tolerable than to watch a forceful muhabat.. And yes Hina Bayat and Mansha Pasha are two great characters and both actors have nailed it.. 🙂